Shattered Illusions
by thecornergirl
Summary: AU, No Vampires. Twins Bella and Jasper move to Forks where they meet Edward and his cousin Alice. They soon realize that things aren't what they seem and have to come to grips with a new reality, one that leaves them fighting for their lives.
1. 1 The Dangerous Stranger

_**Twilight and all of it's characters belong to Stephenie Meyer!**_

_**A/N:**_

_Ok, first and foremost a HUGE thank you to **EmmettGirl**, who has offered to Beta this for me and who has had the utmost patience with me. THANKS again!!!! Please everyone, go to my Favorite Authors list and check her, and her work out!_

_Real quick, this has a fantasy element that has nothing to do with vampires. It started out as an original story that I thought would be fun to mesh with the characters from Twilight. I tried to stay as true the the personalities of the characters as I could, but the plot is completely different. It has the potential of becoming two different stories (meaning I have the plot already worked out for both) but whether I continue on with the second story depends on how this one does. If people enjoy it, I'll probably continue on with it, if people think it's crap, well lol, I'm not going to waste my time. ;o) Ok, without further ado...._

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Excerpt from the book **_Cadéyrn: A History_**

_The álfar and humans have a history of peaceful coexistance dating back farther then even our oldest records go, some even say all the way back to the Age of Innocence. There are many theories as to what brought about the mistrust, and then eventual destruction of friendship between the two peoples, but while scholars cannot agree on what event triggered the downfall of our coexistant state they do agree on one thing, it happened quickly and completely. What followed was what is now known as the Age of Chaos, a time dominated by the fight for survival of the álfar, and the eventual creation of Cadéyrn..._

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I had just finished hanging the last poster up on my bedroom wall when the door swung open, without even a knock, and I knew without having to turn around that my brother, Jasper would be leaning against my doorway. I rolled my eyes and continued to survey my finished work before turning to face him. I raised my eyebrow and stared him down. He stared back, not looking even the slightest bit uncomfortable or guilty, but then, I knew he wouldn't.

A couple of seconds into our stare-down he raised his eyebrow at me, mimicking my own expression from just seconds ago, then tilted his head and asked simply, "What?"

"Manners, Jasper? It would have been nice if you had knocked and then waited for me to let you in, instead of just barging into my room. God, what if I had been changing in here? That would have served you right, coming in to find me in my underwear," I said.

He actually snorted at me in response and came in, sitting down on my bed. I knew it would be pointless to press the point so I just sighed, walking over sitting down next to him.

Jasper was my twin brother and best friend, I pretty much loved him more than anyone else in the world, but the boy knew how to get on my nerves when he wanted to. I waited to see if he was here to talk or just to mess with me. As he was still sitting quietly next to me I figured he was here to talk.

"You're room looks nice. I like it better than back home. It seems to suit you better somehow," he said.

I had to agree. Something about this room just seemed to match my personality on some level. It was an older house and in the corner of my room there was actually a little alcove that jutted out from the house.

There was just enough room there for a chair of some sort and a little side table. It was all windows, and I thought it would be a great place to chill out with some music and my writing. Unfortunately, I had neither chair nor table at the moment, so it currently sat empty, but I could see it's potential.

Jasper, our parents, Charlie and Renee, and I had just moved to here, Forks, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona, which had been our home since Jaz and I were one-year-olds. Charlie was a cop and was offered the position of Chief of Police here in Forks. It was a small town and a safer place to be a cop.

Jasper and I knew the reasons behind the move, but we still weren't happy about it. We were both half-way into our junior year of high school and neither of us really felt up to starting at a new school in the middle of the year. Not to mention the fact that we had to leave everything we knew and loved behind. We were here, but definitely not by choice.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Jaz finally asked, breaking the silence.

Tomorrow was our first day of school. We'd been here for a few days, but our parents wanted us to get moved in and comfortable in our new home before having to face high school. We'd spent the last couple of days unpacking and getting settled in and I had just finished putting up the last poster on my wall, signifying the end of my unpacking, when Jaz barged into my room. Sighing loudly I turned to answer Jasper's question.

"No. Not even close, actually. I feel sick whenever I start thinking about it. The whole school will probably be staring at us all day, and you know how I am when people stare at me. I'll probably fall flat on my face a couple of times, totally embarrassing myself before I even manage to talk to anyone." Jasper laughed, but he knew I wasn't kidding. I was definitely what you would call a klutz.

"It'll be fine, _we'll_ be fine. We have each other, and I have faith in our ability to navigate Forks High School successfully. We had no problem back home and I'm guessing Forks High is probably only a fraction of the size. We'll have it conquered by the end of the day, trust me," Jaz assured me.

"Jaz, _you_ will have Forks High conquered by the end of the day, of that I have no doubt. I'll just consider myself lucky if I manage to get through the day without embarrassing myself to the point of being too ashamed to show my face at school again," I countered.

While Jaz and I were twins you would never be able to guess by looking at us. We were pretty much complete opposites in every way. Jasper was blonde with blue eyes and, if the behavior of the girls back home were any indication, I'd guess I'd have to admit that he was probably considered good looking.

I, on the other hand, had brown hair and brown eyes and was completely ordinary in the looks department. Actually, I was pretty sure I got gypped when it came to looks. Jasper was like a replica of our parents, both of whom have blonde hair and blue eyes and are considered to be lookers.

I had no idea what went wrong with me, but I was definitely the odd one out. I used to wonder if I was adopted, but that seemed unlikely, what with Jasper and I being twins and him looking exactly like out parents. If you couldn't see so much of our dad in Jasper I think people might have questioned my parentage, wondering if there was a deep dark family secret. One look at Jasper, however, and all questions were put to rest, he at least was definitely his father's son.

Our personalities were different too. He was out-going, friendly and usually popular wherever he went. Jasper was a joiner, usually participating in sports and whatever else caught his fancy. He was really good at reading people, and wasn't above using it to his advantage.

I was quiet and shy, and faded into the background a lot. I was too uncoordinated for sports, and couldn't remember the last time I joined anything voluntarily. I was better at reading books than people, though; I had to admit, when I was curious enough about someone I had been known to pick up a few things about them.

My father always joked that we were night and day. Jasper, with his fair looks and extraverted personality was the sun, or Sol, as my dad joked. I, with my darker hair and eyes, and introverted personality was more like the moon, or Luna as he sometimes called me.

Night and day, the sun and the moon, that's what Jasper and I were, but somehow it worked for us. We were closer to each other than we were to anyone else, even if we don't always gravitate in the same social circles.

"Bells, you'll do fine tomorrow." Jasper's speaking finally brought me back to myself, and I smiled at his attempt to cheer me up. "Trust me. I'm not going to just ditch you and go off and do my own thing tomorrow. If I conquer Forks High tomorrow, so will you. We're a team, and together this will be nothing."

He looked over and me and gave an evil grin and then continued, "Plus, everyone will be so overwhelmed by my hotness that they'll pay no attention to you tripping all over non-existent pieces of lint or whatever. The girls will be too busy checking me out and the guys will be too busy wishing they were me and keeping an eye on their girls."

I rolled my eyes at him as I reached over and punched him in the arm; obviously he'd had enough seriousness for the moment and had decided to occupy himself by annoying me.

'Brothers,' I thought to myself, 'Can't live with them, can't legally kill them.'

I got up off my bed and headed out my door to go check on dinner, flipping Jaz the finger over my shoulder on my way out. I slowed down in the hallway to make sure I heard his footsteps behind me, Jasper might be my brother and best friend but that didn't mean I wanted him snooping around in my room. When I was sure he was following me I headed down the stairs to see what strange concoction Renee had put together for dinner.

I liked my mom's cooking, but at times she put together the weirdest combinations, like the time she served meatloaf over pasta complete with marinara sauce, or the day she mashed some potatoes and cut up some hot dogs, mixing them together along with some corn and a little Italian dressing. Charlie and I were too grossed out to try it, but Jasper and Renee assured us we had no idea what we were missing out on. I was glad to see that tonight was just plain old spaghetti and tomato sauce with some garlic bread and a salad. When I entered the kitchen Renee looked up from the magazine she was reading to smile at me, but then went back to reading.

Renee was an archaeologist. She would sometimes be gone for months at a time on a dig, while Charlie stayed at home with Jasper and I so we could stay at school. Sometimes we would get lucky and her dig would coincide with our summer vacation and we would get to go with her. Charlie would stay behind because of work, and then take some vacation time towards the middle of the trip and come spend a week or two with us.

Jaz and I loved going on digs with Renee, we always had a lot of fun. Sometimes we would spend our time at the dig site with Renee and her team, helping out when we were allowed and watching the proceedings, and other times we explored the area, depending on how safe Renee thought it was for us to go off on our own. We loved it, though, we loved spending summers in other countries, learning about the people and the culture. We were always sad when summer ended and we had to come back home.

Right before we moved, our mom had gotten her monthly subscription to Archaeology Magazine, and, because of the move, hadn't yet to had a chance to read it. I was assuming that was what she was reading now.

For some reason, that none of us have yet been able to figure out, Renee's favorite place to read was in the kitchen, while she was cooking. She would prop the magazine or book open on the counter and would only half pay attention to her cooking, her mind was absorbed with the reading. I had no idea how she managed to cook like that without burning anything, which she only very rarely did.

I tried it once and completely forgot about what I was making until the fire alarm went off and I looked up to see the kitchen had been filling up with smoke around me. That was the last time I attempted that.

When Jasper walked into the kitchen Renee put the magazine aside, to finish dinner, while Jasper and I set the table.

"Oh, don't put a place out for your father. He called a little while ago saying he would be late and to go on and have dinner without him. He's still getting things settled down at the station," Renee told us.

Jasper and I finished setting the table for three and then helped Renee bring the food over to the table. At some point in our childhood Jaz and I had started referring to our parents on a first name basis. I don't know what had made us start doing so but once we did we'd enjoyed it. Renee had no problem with it and she would, just as easily, answer to Renee as she would Mom. Charlie, however, wasn't as pleased with it, but over time we'd worn him down. Occasionally he'd put his foot down and demand we call him 'Dad', but more often then not I think he didn't even notice it anymore.

We had a comfortable, relaxed dinner and updated each other on what we got unpacked during the day. The house was pretty much all in order, with just a few boxes here and there that had to be unpacked still. It was starting to feel like home, a still some-what unfamiliar home, but home none-the-less.

We made up a plate for Charlie to eat later and then headed off to do our own things for a while. Jaz and I watched TV for a bit and then headed up to our rooms to get organized for our first day of school. I put some music on my iPod, getting my supplies together and picking out an outfit. I focused on comfort as I didn't want to spend my first day at a new school, which will probably already be uncomfortable, fighting with my clothes all day for the sake of stylishness. Who am I kidding? It's not like I was some fashionista even on the best of days. I tended to wear jeans and a tee shirt on most days, comfort had always been my main goal when it came to what I wore.

I read a bit and then decided to hit the sack. I went down to tell Renee and Charlie, who had gotten home a little earlier, that I was headed to bed, and on my way back to my room detoured to Jasper's room and said good night before heading back to mine. Tomorrow would be a new day.

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I woke up gasping for air and in a cold sweat. For a few seconds I was overwhelmed by panic and couldn't figure out where I was or what was happening. Finally my brain caught up as I registered that I was in my new bedroom in Forks, that I'd woken up from a strange nightmare, and that despite my still pounding heart I was safe.

The light was only just starting to come in through my bedroom window, and I didn't have to look at my clock to realize it was still early. There was no way I was going back to sleep, though; I was too freaked out. I couldn't remember much of the dream, but I remembered the feeling of claustrophobia and feeling sure I was going to die.

Something had come at me, but thankfully my mind had then chosen to wake me up. I was still tired, but I decided I'd rather be a little tired today than try to get myself back to sleep after that.

I wanted out of my room, so headed to the bathroom Jasper and I shared, thinking that a nice, long, hot shower would calm me down a bit. It did. By the time I was done with my shower and had dried off I was much more relaxed, almost my normal self again.

I went back into my room to get dressed. I put on the outfit I picked out for myself last night; my favorite pair of jeans, a light gray tee shirt that read "Everybody Loves a Yeti", and a purple long sleeved tee underneath, to both add some color to my outfit and to keep me warm. I grabbed my book and headed downstairs to start making some coffee and grab a grapefruit, my favorite thing to eat in the mornings.

Less than an hour later Charlie, followed closely by Renee, joined me in the kitchen. They both looked at me with a questionable look on their faces, surprised that I was already up and ready. I told them I'd woken up from a dream. We all were sitting around the kitchen table reading, me my book, Renee her magazine, and Charlie the paper, when Jaz finally came down a little later. I was glad to see him because I knew it meant it was almost time to head to school, and as I'd already been up for a couple of hours by then and I was ready to just go already.

When he came into the kitchen he looked my outfit over while sighing and shaking his head. Jasper and I had different tastes in clothes and he was always giving me crap about how casual I chose to dress. He looked perfect as usual, wearing a pair of dark but faded blue jeans, his black Led Zeppelin tee shirt, with a light-blue long-sleeved button up shirt that perfectly matched his eyes over it. He looked both casual and dressy at the same time. I just shrugged at him, not willing to get into it again over my choice of clothes, and headed upstairs to get my stuff.

When I came down again Jasper had finished eating and we said goodbye to our parents as they both wished us a good first day and headed out. Jaz and I shared a car, one that he picked out since I knew nothing about cars, nor did I care to learn. I picked out the color though, so we ended up with a cherry red Mustang. Such a guy car, but I secretly loved driving it as it made me feel more bold when I was behind the wheel. We took turns driving with it, he'd get one week, I'd get the next, and as it was his week, he hopped into the driver's side to take us to school.

We didn't bother turning the radio on during the drive; we both were using the quiet to help us stay calm. Jasper would never admit it, but I know he was a little nervous, too, he was used to being at the very top of the school food chain, and now neither of us had a place on it.

When we pulled into the school parking lot he grabbed my hand and gave it a quick squeeze before turning to me and asking simply, "Well, you ready?" I shook my head 'yes' before we headed into our new school.

We first made a stop at the office to get our class assignments, locker numbers and combinations. Jasper flirted a little with the secretary, as he always did, telling me that it helped to have friends in high places, or at least places high enough to write you late slips. She was putty in his hands in a second, barely glancing my way. We got everything we needed for the day and went off to find our lockers and first classes.

Our lockers were actually across from each other, which I was actually really surprised about as I figured with us coming in, in the middle of the year we'd end up getting assigned to whatever lockers happened to be open at that point, and didn't think we'd end up anywhere near each other.

Jasper and I went over to our lockers and opened them a few times, memorizing the combinations. By then, the halls were starting to get pretty packed as other students filed in around us. I could feel the stares in the back of my head, but wasn't paying them much attention, yet. I knew I'd have to deal with the apparent curiosity later, especially considering Jasper and I were twins, which always brought us extra attention, much to my chagrin. I just wanted one last minute to myself, though, before I had to deal with Forks High en masse.

I was bent over, putting some stuff on the bottom of my locker when I got the chills, the hair on my arms standing up as if electricity was running through my body. I froze, completely still, and closed my eyes for a second trying to focus enough to figure out where the sense of danger I was feeling was coming from. I slowly stood up and looked around and that's when I saw him.

He was standing down at the end of the hallway, close enough for me to see his face clearly, but far enough away so that I couldn't read his eyes. He was beautiful, extremely so. My breath caught in my throat when I noticed him. He was tall, a lot taller than me, with bronze hair that was disheveled and could only be described as bed hair. His eyes were emerald green; even from a distance I could make out their color. He was definitely the hottest guy I'd ever seen, hands down.

I blinked and tried to rip my gaze away from him, but just before I was able to successfully do so I realized that he was staring at me, and that obviously the feeling of danger I'd had was radiating from him. He didn't bother hiding his stare, even when I started looking over at him. He looked stunned and angry, and I was sure that for some unknown reason that anger was directed at me. I had no idea why, there was no way I could have done anything to him in the short amount of time I'd spent in this school.

He had a sneer on his face when our eyes finally met. I was so shocked that I knew my face must have gone completely blank, but I doubt he noticed. We continued our little stare-down until I felt a presence over my left shoulder and I knew Jasper had come up behind me. I could feel he, also, tense and knew he had noticed the bronze haired boy and had also felt the menace radiating from him.

Jasper's presence behind me was what I needed to finally break the stare and I turned around to look at him. He was still staring at the boy, his body was tense and looked as if he was ready to spring, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. To anyone else it would have looked like he was just giving someone a dirty look, but I knew this particular look, it was the last warning he gave before he sprang at you.

Jasper rarely ever lost his temper, he was generally too mellow to do so, but he was like a big cat when he did, sleek and powerful and highly effective. I didn't want his first day to end up in a fight, knowing that the school would view him as a troublemaker, as he would come to regret losing his temper. I lightly touched his wrist, letting him know that I was ok, and turned back to look at the boy again, hoping he'd leave off.

As I turned around a small dark-haired girl walked up to him. I could only see her from the side but it was obvious that she was beautiful. She was so small, but at the same time very exotic looking and the word pixie popped into my head when I looked at her. When the boy noticed her approaching him he melted, his whole body relaxing as he turned away from us to talk to the girl.

She laughed at whatever he said and he put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her away. It was as if Jaz and I were no longer there. I figured the little dark haired pixie must be his girlfriend.

When they were out of sight I turned back to Jaz who'd started to relax. He looked me over and asked, "What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea Jaz. I've never seen him before and I was just dropping my stuff in my locker when I felt like something was wrong. I looked up and noticed him staring at me like that," I answered.

Jasper looked from me back toward where the guy had been standing and then grabbed my schedule out of my hands, comparing it with his.

"Okay, look, we have our second class together, lunch together, and then the last class together. When we're not together keep your eyes open. I doubt the dude would do anything in school, but I want you to keep your distance from him, anyways, especially today, until we know more about him," he lectured.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Seriously, Jazz, what, do you think he'll try to do? Attack me or something at school? I doubt that kind of thing happens around here."

Jasper narrowed his eyes before he replied. "Bella, I want you to promise me you'll be careful today. We don't know anything about that guy and he was looking seriously pissed off at you. This is a small town, but that doesn't mean there aren't any psychos floating around. Promise me."

I sighed but shook my head. In truth, I wasn't really up to a second run-in with the beautiful, dangerous, stranger anyway, so it wasn't hard promising Jaz I'd keep my distance from him.

With that, he kissed me on the top of my head and walked me to my first class, not something he would normally do, but we were both shaken up a bit, I think. With one last warning, and a reminder of my promise, Jasper headed off to find his first class and I headed into the classroom behind me to wait for the teacher so that I could introduce myself and get settled into my first class, here, in Forks

**A/N: **

_Reviews are sweet as candy, but better for you teeth!_


	2. 2 Riding in Cars with Boys

_**Twilight and all of it's characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and not me.....of which I'm all sure we're aware of.**_

_**A/N:**_

_So, once again I need to thank my Beta __**EmmettGirl**__ who is wonderful and helpful and definitely improves the quality of this story. Please, go check out my fav authors list to look her up. She's an excellent writer and I'm sure you'd enjoy her stories. Ummm, besides that nothing much to cover I don't think. Can't think of anything anyway, so read on._

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_She was being chased through an unrecognizable wood. She wasn't sure who she was running from, but she knew that if he caught up to her she would have to pay with her life. Her breath was coming in hard and her chest felt like it was about to explode. She looked around for something familiar, anything that would point her to safety._

_She didn't know where the others were, but she knew she'd be no help to them if she were dead, so she kept running. She was surrounded by nothing but endless green as she searched for a way out of this labyrinth, she could be running in circles for all she knew. She panted hard, feeling as if she would pass out at any second, all the while knowing he was closing in on her._

_Suddenly she tripped, slamming into the ground with enough force to make her black out for a split second. When she recovered herself, she had just enough time to realize that it was already too late. She twisted around just in time to see the flash of silver, and as she screamed, knowing it would be the last sound she would ever make….._

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I was sure that I must have screamed out in my sleep, but as I didn't hear any footsteps hurrying towards my room I knew that couldn't be the case. I was still panting hard from my dream, trying to get a grasp on my surroundings. I was definitely on the floor.

I must have rolled right out of bed, which was probably what had waken me. It felt like I'd landed on my elbow when I rolled out of my bed as I could feel it throbbing, but felt that it was a small price to pay to wake up from the dream.

It was the second night in a row that I'd woken up from a nightmare. Usually my sleep was peaceful. I was sure I must've had dreams at night, but I could hardly ever recall them in the morning. Two nightmares in two nights in a row was definitely odd for me. I knew it must've been my mind's way of dealing with all the stress that had come with the move to a new place and starting at a new school, but knowing the reason why I was having these dreams didn't make me feel any better.

When I was sure that I had recovered enough to stand up I leaned over and looked at the clock on my nightstand. It was only 3:30 in the morning. I grabbed my blanket off of the bed and went to sit down on the floor in the alcove of my room. The moonlight was streaming in through the windows, surrounding me, and as I leaned my head back trying to relax I tried to focus on anything but the dream.

My mind wandered to the bronze haired boy from school yesterday, as it had almost constantly since our encounter in the hallway. I knew I shouldn't be dwelling on it, and especially not on him, but my mind seemed determined to think of nothing else since then.

I hadn't seen the boy, or the petite dark haired girl who walked away with him, at all during the rest of the day.

I don't know whether we just didn't have a chance to cross paths again, or if he was avoiding another encounter with me. For the life of me I couldn't think of a reason why he would do so, or what I could have possibly done to trigger the intense anger he seemed to feel towards me in the first place. However I insulted him, it was completely unintentional, and obliviously on my part.

After that, school was a blur. The discomfort and embarrassment I should have felt throughout the day while navigating a new school wasn't there. My mind was so focused on that morning that I barely registered my surroundings.

Jasper appeared next to me whenever he was able to. He'd memorized both of our schedules that morning, then had spent the day trying to meet up with me whenever he could in between classes. I would have normally felt boxed in by his concern, but I just felt reassured to have him there.

We both kept our eyes open, looking out for the bronze haired boy, while I also tried to catch a glimpse of the little dark haired girl, who Jasper said he hadn't seen that morning. He must have focused entirely on the boy, viewing him as enough of a threat to ignore everyone else around him.

By the end of the day we were both feeling tired and grumpy, but relieved that there hadn't been another incident. Like that morning, the drive home was a silent one. The stress of the day had obviously gotten to us, and we relaxed in the quiet while we could.

As I felt my body slowly relaxing after my dream, I tried to recall any of the other students I'd seen, even occasionally talked with, throughout my first day, but I came up blank. I knew that Jasper had made a couple of new friends because we ended up sitting with them at lunch, I even knew they tried to include my into their conversations whenever they could, but I was unable to recall a single face.

Even though we were both a little freaked out, spending the day searching around for some strange guy who might or might not pose a threat to us, you wouldn't have known it from watching Jasper. On the outside he was his normal self, introducing the two of us to anyone who showed an interest, joking around with the guys, lightly flirting with the girls, winning them all over. I knew it wouldn't be long before he was back at the top.

I also knew that in comparison I must have looked like some weird freak. I tried to smile whenever we met someone new and follow along with the conversations, but I was too consumed with the bronze-haired boy. He was far more beautiful than any other guy I'd ever seen, and when I closed my eyes I kept picturing his perfect green eyes. It figured that I would be intensely attracted to the one guy who seemed to hate me on sight. I must have a thing for self inflicted torture.

I groaned in frustration, deciding I felt calm enough to try to get some more sleep, and stood up to climb back in bed. Now that the stress from the dream was gone I was left feeling intensely lethargic. I stared up at my ceiling, not quite tired enough to fall asleep, but content to spread out on my comfortable mattress. I wondered if tomorrow I would see the bronze-haired boy again. All the while I mentally lectured myself for thinking about a boy who so obviously disliked me so much, and who seemed to have a girlfriend. As I drifted off to sleep I was disgusted to realize it was to a pair of emerald green eyes.

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When I woke up in the morning I was annoyed to see I was already running late. Two nights of bad sleep must've caught up to me, because I hardly ever overslept. I grabbed up my toiletries and ran to the bathroom, all the while mentally cursing nightmares, new schools, and stupid brothers who hogged bathrooms when you needed them most.

"Jasper, I _need_ to get in the shower now or we're going to be late. What are you doing in there anyway? Oh god, wait, do I not want to know? Are you having special one-on-one time in there?" I yelled through the door, knowing that if I annoyed him enough he'd get out of the bathroom just to shut me up.

As the door flew open, nearly taking off my nose in the process, Jasper looked out at me with a decidedly un-amused expression on his face. I paused just long enough to memorize his severely put-upon expression, grinned at him wickedly, then shoved him out of my way.

As I slammed the door closed behind me I heard him call out, "Anyway, _we_ won't be late this morning; I have the car this week. You better hurry up if you want to be in that car, or you can get a ride from Mom."

I grunted in frustration, but didn't waste my time coming up with a reply. I doubted he would go through with his threat. It would annoy our mom and I was sure he would want to head into school with me after yesterday's incident. Still, I tried to pick up the pace a little, I knew first hand that when Jasper felt the need to get some payback he hardly ever acted reasonably, and I had already thoroughly annoyed him.

I managed to make myself look somewhat decent, grabbed all my stuff I'd need for the day, and a bagel to eat on the way, jumping into the car in record time. Poor Renee, she probably was only just then registering the goodbye I called out to her on my way out through the door.

I was still in go mode when I hit the passenger seat of the car, hot and sweaty from my hurried run through the house and already feeling as if I needed another shower. After a few seconds I registered that we were still sitting immobile in the driveway so I looked over at Jasper in frustration, only to see that he was silently laughing at me.

"_What_?" I somehow managed to force out through clenched teeth.

"It's just…your shirt's on inside out," he laughed.

I looked down at the traitorous shirt, a blue v-neck sweater that was previously one of my favorites, and realized he was right. I stared down at it silently for half a second while I tried to get control of my temper, wondering how unreasonable it would be to take my annoyance out on my sweater before I realized that cutting it to shreds would definitely not improve my mood in the long run. Obviously, this was not going to be my day. I momentarily contemplated just going back in the house and convincing Renee to let me stay home from school today, but I knew she wouldn't go for it, not when it was still only my second day.

I let out a long sigh that was meant to convey exactly how shitty this day was looking to be, and said, "Just drive Jasper, I'll fix it later."

He must have realized that I was at my limit because he put the car in drive and drove off, not even giving me any crap about how unfashionable I was looking. As I stared moodily out the window I tried to think of something that would help get me out of the bad temper I was quickly slipping into, deciding that going into school ready to strangle someone in frustration probably wasn't the best way to start out your second day. Suddenly I knew what would help cheer me up a little and I grabbed the CD case and started flipping through the CD's until I found the one I was looking for. I'd seen Jaz watching me out of the corner of his eye and I turned to him and gave him an evil smile.

"Please, _please_, tell me that's not what I think it is," he pleaded.

I didn't even bother answering; I just popped the CD in and skipped over to the track I was looking for. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the head rest as Weezer's _Pork and Beans_ started playing. I heard Jaz groan but ignored him, and reached to turn the volume up.

I'd gotten the new Weezer album a couple of months ago and had instantly fallen in love with the song _Pork and Beans_. It was kind of like my anthem, and I put it on whenever I needed some cheering up or just wanted to listen to something that would make me smile. Jaz, normally a Weezer fan himself, had reached his limit, declaring that no one should have to listen to one song over and over again so much, and outlawed _Pork and Beans_ in the car when it was his week driving. I knew he was only putting up with it now because he knew it was probably the only thing that would help improve my stony mood.

We pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot just as the song was ending. Jasper parked and I noticed a white car pull into a spot across from us. Jaz was getting his stuff together so wasn't paying attention. I could see right away that it was the boy from yesterday, and I held my breath wondering if he would get out and walk into school before he noticed us, or if he would look up and see us sitting here. I almost ducked down in my seat, had actually started to move to do so, when I decided that would be cowardly, so held my ground.

Of course he looked up at us, I don't know why I would have thought differently, knowing how my day was going. I sat frozen, my breath still caught somewhere in my throat, wondering how this would play out.

I felt Jaz move next to me, and then he must have finally looked up because he said, "Of all the shitty luck" to the both of us.

I nodded without looking at him and thought to myself that that pretty much summed it up. My morning, my day, my week, my life, it was all wrapped up there in those five words.

_Of all the shitty luck._

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**A/N:**

_Go ahead. Review it. You know you want to, you know you're dying to. I won't tell anyone, I promise. It will be our little secret. ;)_

_Thanks everyone!_


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